Lid dispenser

ABSTRACT

A lid dispenser for dispensing a first lid from a plurality of lids includes a housing having an opening therein through which the plurality of lids are dispensed, a door pivotally mounted and positioned frontwardly of the housing, and a claw assembly wherein the claw assembly is coupled to and movable relative to the door. The claw assembly includes a first claw including a first body portion and a first claw surface extending from the body portion, a second claw including a second body portion and a second claw surface extending from the body portion, and a depth stop plate that connects the first claw to the second claw, the depth stop plate including a depth stop spaced apart from the first claw surface and the second claw surface, wherein the depth stop plate defines and maintains the distance between the first claw and the second claw.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to the field of dispensers. In particular, the present invention relates to devices for dispensing food service lids.

In many convenience stores, restaurants, cafeterias, and other locations where beverages are sold, customers are allowed to serve themselves from beverage dispensers. The beverages are dispensed into disposable cups. To limit spilling of the beverages, especially for take-out orders, the cups are commonly sealed by the customer with a disposable plastic lid.

For reasons of convenience, efficiency, reduced waste, and improved hygiene, the beverage container lids are optimally dispensed from a lid dispenser which makes available a single lid while retaining and protecting the remaining supply of lids.

SUMMARY

One embodiment of the invention relates to a lid dispenser for dispensing a first lid from a plurality of lids. The lid dispenser including a housing having an opening therein through which the plurality of lids are dispensed, a door pivotally mounted and positioned frontwardly of the housing, and a claw assembly wherein the claw assembly is coupled to and movable relative to the door. The claw assembly includes a first claw including a first body portion and a first claw surface extending from the body portion, a second claw including a second body portion and a second claw surface extending from the body portion, and a depth stop plate that connects the first claw to the second claw, the depth stop plate including a depth stop spaced apart from the first claw surface and the second claw surface, wherein the depth stop plate defines and maintains the distance between the first claw and the second claw.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a claw assembly for use with a lid dispensing including a pivotable door. The claw assembly includes a first claw including a first body portion and a first claw surface extending from the body portion, a second claw including a second body portion and a second claw surface extending from the body portion, and a depth stop plate that connects the first claw to the second claw, the depth stop plate including a depth stop spaced apart from the first claw surface and the second claw surface, wherein the depth stop plate defines and maintains the distance between the first claw and the second claw. The claw assembly is configured to be coupled to and movable relative to the pivotable door. The claw assembly moves relative to the door from contact with a lid to be dispensed to properly align the claw assembly with the lid

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a lid dispenser including a housing including an opening, the housing configured to store a stack of lids to be dispensed through the opening, a pager mounted to the housing and configured to engage a lid located at the opening, a door pivotably mounted to the housing, the door including a first ear and a second ear, both ears extending towards the housing, and a claw assembly. The claw assembly includes a first claw including a first body portion, a first claw surface extending from the body portion, and a first rear surface that extends at an angle relative to the first claw surface towards the first body portion, a second claw including a second body portion, a second claw surface extending from the body portion, and a second rear surface that extends at an angle relative to the second claw surface towards the second body portion, a depth stop plate that connects the first claw to the second claw, the depth stop plate including a depth stop spaced apart from the first claw surface and the second claw surface, wherein the depth stop plate defines and maintains the distance between the first claw and the second claw, a first mounting piece including a first inner flange and a second outer flange separated by a first gap, the first mounting piece positioned opposite the first claw with the depth stop plate in-between, and a second mounting piece including a first inner flange and a second outer flange separated by a second gap, the second mounting piece positioned opposite the first claw with the depth stop late in-between. The first ear is positioned in the first gap and a first fastener extends through the first inner flange, the first ear, and the first outer flange to pivotally mount the claw assembly to the door about a pivot axis and the second ear is positioned in the second gap and a second fastener extends through the second inner flange, the second ear, and the second outer flange to pivotally mount the claw assembly to the door about the pivot axis.

Alternative exemplary embodiments relate to other features and combinations of features as may be generally recited in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will become more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the dispenser and two adjustment templates according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the dispenser of FIG. 1 with a pager adjustment template in place.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front view of the dispenser of FIG. 1 with a larger pager adjustment template in place.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the dispenser of FIG. 1 showing the dispensing door being grasped by a user, and showing in phantom view the opened dispensing door and the dispensed lid made available to the user.

FIG. 5 is an perspective view of a claw assembly, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the dispenser of FIG. 3 taken along section line 6-6.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the claw assembly of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the claw assembly of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the claw assembly of FIG. 5.

FIG. 10 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 4 with the door.

FIG. 11 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 4 showing the door partially opened.

FIG. 12 is a front view of a claw assembly according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a front view of a claw assembly according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 13A is a front view of the claw assembly of FIG. 13, a door, and a lid to be engaged by the claw assembly.

FIG. 14 is a front view of a claw assembly according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before turning to the figures, which illustrate the exemplary embodiments in detail and wherein like numbers refer to similar parts, it should be understood that the application is not limited to the details or methodology set forth in the description or illustrated in the figures. It should also be understood that the terminology is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting. This application incorporates by reference the entirety of U.S. Pat. No. 7,207,462.

Referring to FIG. 1, a dispenser 20 of beverage container lids is illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment. The dispenser 20 has a tubular housing 24 which has an interior compartment 26 defined between a rear wall 28 and a front element 30. The front element 30 has four radially extending slots 32 which each receive an adjustable pager assembly 34. The pager assemblies 34 engage and position the stack of lids to be dispensed. The slots 32 extend radially outwardly from a generally circular dispensing opening 40 which provides an outlet from the housing interior compartment 26. Each pager assembly 34 is positionable along a radial slot 32 and is fixed in place by a screw fastener 33 which engages with a threaded retainer 35 with a flange 37 which abuts against the rear of the front element 30. The screw fasteners 33 may be security screws to prevent tampering such as the TORX PLUS® fastener with a central solid post and five lobe design made by Textron Industries, Inc. Each pager assembly has an axially extending rod 36 which extends through the interior compartment 26 to be received within a rod hole 38 formed in the rear wall 28. The rear wall 28 is preferably provided with two pre-drilled rod holes for each rod. The rod holes are positioned radially outwardly one from the other such that the four rods 36 may be more closely positioned when engaged within the radially inward holes, or may be more distantly spaced when engaged within the radially outward holes.

A piston assembly 42 is mounted within the compartment 26 to travel axially within the compartment 26 and to bias or urge a stack 44 of lids 22, shown in FIG. 4, towards the dispensing opening 40. The piston assembly 42 has a body 48 with a forward wall 50 having four radially extending slots 52 formed therein. The rods 36 extend through the slots 52. The piston assembly body 48 has three rearwardly extending side walls 54 which restrict the tipping of the body, with the result that the body travels axially along the rods 36. A coil spring 56 extends between the rear wall 28 and the forward wall 50 of the body 48, and urges the body towards the dispensing opening 40. A circular nose plate 58 is fixed to a narrow diameter standoff member 60 which is fixed to the forward wall 50 of the body 48.

The dispenser 20 is loaded with a stack 44 of lids 22 by introducing the stack through the dispensing opening 40 in the front element 30. The four pager assemblies 34 each have a flipper 62 which is pinned to a pager body 64, and is urged into a forward orientation by a spring. Each flipper has a rearwardly facing resilient strip or blocks 67, shown in FIG. 6, which engages the lid. The resilience of the strip may vary to best suit a particular lid, for example a 45 durometer Shore A thermoplastic rubber element. Other materials of different hardness may be employed where appropriate. The flippers 62 extend outward over the dispensing opening 40, but are pressed out of the way to allow the stack 44 to enter the housing compartment 26. The stack of lids also depresses the piston assembly 42.

A dispensing door 66 is pivotably mounted to two ears 68 which protrude frontwardly from the front element 30. The dispensing door 66 is urged into a closed position by two springs 70 which extend between a horizontal rod 72 which is fixed to the door 66 and portions of the front element 30. The dispensing door 66 is preferably formed of transparent plastic material to allow the lids 22 to be viewed through the door when it is closed. The door 66 has an upwardly extending handle portion 74 which is gripped by a user when it is desired to extract a single lid. The door 66 has a middle portion 76 which is generally planar, and which abuts against portions of the front element 30 when the door is closed. The front element 30 has four studs 78 which project frontwardly. A molded plastic housing extension 79 is screwed to the four studs 78. The housing extension 79 prevents access to the interior of the dispenser 20 when the door 66 is closed. The studs 78 position the housing extension 79 against which the closed door abuts, and thereby hold the door when closed such that the door middle portion 76 is approximately parallel to the frontmost lid 22 within the stack 44.

A claw assembly 81 is pivotably mounted to the dispensing door 66. The claw assembly 81 is mounted about pivot axis 104. As shown in FIG. 4, when the door 66 is closed on the housing, portions of the claw assembly 81 engage the frontmost lid 22. When the lid is pivoted frontwardly the engaged lid 22 is pulled free of the pager flippers 62. The separated lid 22 is then presented to the user retained on the door 66 between the claws. When the user releases the door 66, after removing the dispensed lid, the springs 70 return the door to its closed position with the claw assembly 81 engaged behind the new frontmost lid (i.e., the lid to be dispensed), and the device is now ready to dispense another lid.

In order to effectively and repeatably dispense individual lids 22, the pager assemblies must be in the correct position or alignment with respect to the stack of lids, and the claw assembly 81 must properly engage the lids.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7-9, the claw assembly 81 includes two claws 80, a depth stop plate 83, and two mounting pieces or ears 102. The claw assembly 81 may be formed as a single piece or as separate components (e.g., claws 80, depth stop plate 83, and mounting pieces 102) that are then secured to one another (e.g., glued, epoxied, laser welded, etc.).

Each claw 80 includes a body portion 85 and rear lip 108 that extends inward from the body portion 85. The rear lip 108 includes a rear surface 118 and a claw surface 120 which is positioned frontwardly of the rear surface 118. The rear surface 118 extends at angle from the claw surface 120 towards the body portion 85. The rear surface 118 includes conical surface portions defined by a cone having a center axis 123 which is positioned on a horizontal plane which is parallel to the axis 127 of the lid stack, and having a cone angle φ which is preferably about 15° to 35°. In some embodiments, the cone angle φ varies as it extends around the claw 80. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the rear surface 118 is broken by a series of cut-aways 130 that divide the claw surface 120 into multiple lands 132. The claw surface 120 thus has a serrated appearance. The cut-aways 130 and lands 132 are believed to contribute to the repeatable engagement of lids from the stack. In different embodiments the number of cut-aways 130 and lands 132 may vary. In some embodiments, the rear surface 118 does not include any cut-aways 130 and lands 132. The spacing, depth, location, radiusing, and shape of the cut-aways 130 and lands 132 may be varied to suit a particular lid.

As shown in FIG. 7, the depth stop plate 83 extends between the two claws 80 to connect the claws 80 to one another. The depth stop plate 83 also defines a depth stop 110. The depth stop 110 extends inward from the body portion 85 of the claws 80 for a greater distance than the claw surface 120. The depth stop 110 is located forward of the claw surface 120 forming a gap 122 between the claw surface 120 and the depth stop 110. The depth stop plate 83 is positioned between each claw 80 and its corresponding mounting piece 102. The depth stop plate 83 maintains a spacing or distance 125 between the two claws 80, which allows the entire claw assembly 81 to move relative to the door 66 to align itself with the lid to be dispensed. This distance between the two claws 80 is critical to the claw assembly 81 working as intended to dispense lids from the lid stack.

As shown in FIG. 7, each mounting piece 102 includes an inner flange 87 and an outer flange 89 separated by a gap 91 that is sized to receive one of the ears 100 extending from the door 66. A hole 103 extends through both the inner flange 87 and the outer flange 89. The holes 103 of the two mounting pieces 102 are coaxial about pivot axis 104. In some embodiments, the inner flange 87 is omitted to help accommodate larger diameter lids. As shown in FIG. 9, an upper portion 114 of the inner flange 87 and the outer flange 89 is generally parallel to the claw surface 120 and to the dispensing door 66 when the door is closed. A lower portion 116 of the inner flange 87 and the outer flange 89 is angled at an angle α relative to the upper portion 114. Angle α may vary (e.g., between about 5° and about 25°) depending on the amount of pivoting required of the claw assembly 81 relative to the door 66. The upper portion 114 and the lower portion 116 are located adjacent the door 66 to limit the pivoting of the claw assembly 81 relative to the door 66. The claw assembly 81 is able to pivot about angle α relative to the door 66 when attached to the door 66. Angling the lower portion 116 permits claw assembly 81 to pivot with respect to the dispensing door 66 as the door is opened, and to remain substantially parallel to the lids as the door is opened until an inclination of angle α is reached.

As shown in FIG. 13A, the claw assembly 81 is coupled to the door 66 to the door 66 by inserting each of the two ears 100 extending from the door 66 into the corresponding gap 91 in the mounting pieces 102, aligning the holes 103 of the two mounting pieces 102 with the hole 105 in the ear 100, and inserting fasteners 98 (e.g., nylon screw fasteners) through the holes 103 and 105. In some embodiments, the holes 103 through the mounting pieces 102 and the fastener 98 are threaded. Once coupled to the door 66, the claw assembly 81 is able to move relative to the door 66. The claw assembly 81 is able to pivot about pivot axis 104 and float side-to-side along the pivot axis 104. The pivoting helps the claw assembly 81 to remove the lid to be dispensed from the pager assemblies 34. The side-to-side floating helps the claw assembly 81 to align itself with the lid to be dispensed as the door 66 moves to the closed position. The claw assembly's ability to float side to side while maintaining the critical distance 125 enables the claw assembly 81 to more reliably engage a lid to be dispensed that out of the expected alignment. As shown in FIG. 13A, the lid 22 to be engaged by the claw assembly 81 as the door 66 closes is not properly aligned with the lid stack axis 127. The center axis 129 of the lid 22 is offset from the lid stack axis 127. As the door 66 closes, the claw assembly 81 contacts the lid 22 and moves or floats side-to-side along pivot axis 104 (as shown by arrow A), to align itself with the lid 22 and properly engage the lid 22 so that the lid 22 will be properly dispensed when the door 66 is next opened. The ability of the claw assembly 81 to float is also useful with dispensing lids with an offset die-cut feature (e.g., a feature not concentric or coaxial with the center axis of the lid). Some lids are not die-cut as accurately as others, if they are cut such that the die-cut is not concentric to the shape of the lid, the claw assembly 81 is able to float to move in the direction necessary to accommodate the die-cut in these situation

The claw assembly 81 operates as follows to provide repeatable dispensing of individual lids. After a lid has been dispensed, or after the unit has been loaded with a fresh stack of lids, the dispensing door 66 is closed on the stack of lids. When the door 66 closes, the depth stop 110 engages against the foremost lid and depresses the entire stack, thereby resetting the stack to a known position. If the claw assembly 81 is not properly aligned with the foremost lid (e.g., the lid is slightly out of its expected position, the claw assembly 81 is able to move relative to the door 66 (as shown in FIG. 13A) to align itself with the foremost lid. The claw surfaces 120 are then engaged behind the frontmost lid (i.e., the lid to be dispensed). When the next user seeks to dispense a lid, the door 66 is pivoted frontwardly, causing the claw assembly 81 to move frontwardly with the door 66 and pull the frontmost lid forward. Because of the pivotal mounting of the claw assembly 81 and the angled lower portions 116 of the mounting pieces 102, the claw assembly 81 will remain parallel to the frontmost lid until the door 66 is opened so far that the lower portions 116 contact the door and the claw assembly 81 can pivot no further. Because the claw assembly 81 is able to pivot about pivot axis 104, the claw assembly 81 is able to remain generally parallel to the lids over a longer portion of the door travel, and this helps to evenly remove the frontmost lid from the pager assemblies 34.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the rear surfaces 118 are configured such that when the door 66 is closed on the housing 24, the axis 123 of the cone that defines the rear surface 118 is spaced apart (e.g., above) the axis 127 of the lid stack 44. In some embodiments, the axis 123 is spaced apart from the axis 127 by from about a few thousandths of an inch to a quarter of an inch, depending on the thickness of the lid. A thicker lid will require greater spacing between the axes. The pivot axis 104 serves as a reference point, and when the door 66 is closed, the pivot axis 104 intersects the lid stack axis 127 and the two axes 104 and 127 are found in a common horizontal plane.

As shown in FIG. 11, the axes 123, 127 ideally line up as the door 66 opens (i.e., are collinear at some point of the door's travel), and the rim of the lid which is about to be removed hits the resilient blocks 67, shown in FIG. 6, in the pager assemblies 34. It is at this point that it is desirable for the rear surfaces 118 of the claw assembly 81 and exteriors of the lids to be aligned, when the lid flanges engage near the center of the blocks 67 in side view. As this is a high friction area, as the lid comes forward, there is a reaction force from the lid, and this is where the lid disengages from the stack, the point at which maximum alignment is desired. The claw assembly 81 separates the frontmost lid from the stack, while the remainder of the stack is restrained against the pager flippers 62. As the door 66 is fully opened as shown in FIG. 4, the lid is presented for convenient removal from the door by the patron.

Another important dimension is the depth of the gap 122 between the claw surface 120 and the depth stop 110. As a rule of thumb, the gap 122 should have a depth in the direction of the axis of the lid stack of the thickness of the lid plus approximately 0.030 inches. This dimension can vary depending on the design of the specific lid flange. If the gap is too large, there is the possibility of dispensing more than one lid at a time. If the gap is too small, there will be no dispensing at all. However, there are certain lids in which the lid, for whatever reason, is compressible, and the gap should then be somewhat less than the thickness of the lid by as much as 0.030 inches. In any event through a process of trial and error, guided by these general considerations the manufacturer will design a claw assembly 81 that adequately dispenses a particular lid.

The particular configuration of the claw assembly 81 and, in particular, of the claw surface 120, depth stop 110, and gap 122 will vary based on the specific lid to be dispensed by a specific dispenser. In broad terms, different embodiments of the claw assembly 81 are appropriate for flat or soda-style lids, for two-tiered or coffee-style lids, and for domed or frozen-beverage style lids. As shown in FIG. 12, the depth stop plate 83 for a flat lid 106 is flat. As shown in FIG. 13, the depth stop plate 83 for a two-tiered lid 107 includes a recessed portion 109 that forms a step 111 that is spaced apart from the depth stop 110. The step 111 is substantially flat and connected to the depth stop 110 by two side walls 112. As shown in FIG. 5, the side walls 112 include a curved portion and are generally J-shaped. The recessed portion 109 extends towards the door 66. This shape accommodates the upper tier of the two-tiered lid 107. The recessed portion 109 divides the depth stop 110 into two portions 113 and 115, each one adjacent one of the claws 80. As shown in FIG. 14, the depth stop plate 83 for a frozen-beverage style lid 117 includes a recessed portion 109 that includes two curved or domed sections 119 and a flat section 121. The recessed portion 109 extends towards the door 66. This shape accommodates the domed lid 117. The recessed portion 109 divides the depth stop 110 into two portions 113 and 115, each one adjacent one of the claws 80. The spacing, depth, location, and shape of the recessed portions 109 may be varied to suit a particular lid.

The claw assembly 81 provides several advantages over lid dispensers that utilize two individual claws separately attached to a front door. The presence of the depth stop plate 83 ensures that the critical spacing between the claws 80 is maintained, even after repeated uses. This increases the durability, reliability, and the expected life of the dispenser 20 when compared to dispensers that utilizes two individual claws. If the spacing between the claws 80 of the claw assembly 81 was able to vary or otherwise deteriorate over time, this would adversely affect the reliability of the claw assembly 81 for removing lids from the lid stack. Because a dispenser utilizing individual claws has no way to maintain the critical spacing between its individual claws, it is likely that such a dispenser will be less reliable than a dispenser including the claw assembly 81.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 13A, the claw assembly 81 can be allowed to float side-to-side (i.e., along pivot axis 104) more than individual claws. Because the depth stop plate 83 maintains the distance 125 between the claws 80, the entire claw assembly 81 is able to move side-to-side to properly engage the lid to be dispensed. Increasing this side-to-side float allows the dispenser to function reliably even when the lid to be dispensed is crooked or misaligned relative to the axis 127 of the lid stack 44. The side-to-side float may be increased by increasing the size of the gaps 91 of the mounting pieces 102 relative to the size of the ears 100 of the door 66. A dispenser that utilizes two individual claws is not able to allow for reliable side-to-side float, because the individual claws move individually from side-to-side and not as a unit like the claw assembly 81.

It will be understood that in most situations, the dispenser 20 will be used to dispense the same size and model of container lid for an extended period of time. However, from time to time, due to a reconfiguration of a facility, or a change in vendor or lid model, it will be necessary to adapt a dispenser 20 to dispense a different lid 22. The dispenser 20 is adjusted for a new type of lid by making three changes: 1) positioning the pager assemblies 34 at the correct radial positions; 2) replacing the circular nose plate 58 with one of the correct radius; and 3) replacing the claw assembly 81 with one designed to engage the new lid. The owner of a particular dispenser may not typically have on hand the necessary replacement parts to make a change to accommodate a different lid. Thus, when it is desired to change the lid dispensed in a particular dispenser, the owner communicates with the manufacturer, indicating the type of lid, hereinafter “the new type lid” which it is desired to dispense. The manufacturer then supplies to the owner an adjustment kit to enable the dispenser to be reconfigured for the new type lid. The adjustment kit comprises a template 82, a nose plate 58, and a claw assembly 81. There are two possibilities: either the new type lid is of a type for which the manufacturer has already designed an adjustment kit, or the new type lid is of a type for which the manufacturer has not previously designed an adjustment kit. In either event, the manufacturer prepares an adjustment kit as needed and supplies it to the owner. The guidelines used by the manufacturer in designing an adjustment kit are described in more detail below. Once the owner has the adjustment kit in hand, the dispenser may be modified to dispense the new type lid.

The construction and arrangement of the apparatus, systems and methods as shown in the various exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.). For example, some elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed from multiple parts or elements, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwise varied and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered or varied. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A lid dispenser for a dispensing a first lid from a plurality of lids, the lid dispenser comprising: a housing having an opening therein through which the plurality of lids are dispensed; a door pivotally mounted and positioned frontwardly of the housing; and a claw assembly comprising: a first claw including a first body portion and a first claw surface extending from the body portion; a second claw including a second body portion and a second claw surface extending from the body portion; and a depth stop plate that connects the first claw to the second claw, the depth stop plate including a depth stop spaced apart from the first claw surface and the second claw surface, wherein the depth stop plate defines and maintains the distance between the first claw and the second claw; wherein the claw assembly is coupled to and movable relative to the door.
 2. The lid dispenser of claim 1, wherein the claw assembly moves relative to the door from contact with the first lid to properly align the claw assembly with the first lid.
 3. The lid dispenser of claim 2, wherein the door includes a first ear and a second ear, both ears extending towards the front element; and wherein the claw assembly further comprises: a first mounting piece including a first inner flange and a second outer flange separated by a first gap, the first mounting piece positioned opposite the first claw with the depth stop plate in-between; and a second mounting piece including a first inner flange and a second outer flange separated by a second gap, the second mounting piece positioned opposite the first claw with the depth stop late in-between; wherein the first ear is positioned in the first gap and a first fastener extends through the first inner flange, the first ear, and the first outer flange; and wherein the second ear is positioned in the second gap and a second fastener extends through the second inner flange, the second ear, and the second outer flange.
 4. The lid dispenser of claim 3, wherein the first mounting piece includes a first upper portion and a first lower portion angled relative to the first upper portion, the first upper portion and the first lower portion adjacent the door; and wherein the second mounting piece includes a second upper portion and a second lower portion angled relative to the second upper portion, the second upper portion and the second lower portion adjacent the door.
 5. The lid dispenser of claim 4, wherein the first claw further includes a first rear surface that extends at an angle relative to the first claw surface towards the first body portion; and wherein the second claw further includes a second rear surface that extends at an angle relative to the second claw surface towards the second body portion.
 6. The lid dispenser of claim 5, wherein the first rear surface and the second rear surface include conical surface portions.
 7. The lid dispenser of claim 5, wherein the depth stop plate is flat.
 8. The lid dispenser of claim 5, wherein the depth stop plate includes a recessed portion that extends towards the door.
 9. The lid dispenser of claim 8, wherein the recessed portion forms a step that is spaced apart from the depth stop and divides the depth stop into two portions.
 10. The lid dispenser of claim 8, wherein the recessed portion includes two domed sections and a flat section.
 11. The lid dispenser of claim 8, wherein the recessed portion divides the depth stop into two portions.
 12. A claw assembly for use with a lid dispensing including a pivotable door, comprising: a first claw including a first body portion and a first claw surface extending from the body portion; a second claw including a second body portion and a second claw surface extending from the body portion; and a depth stop plate that connects the first claw to the second claw, the depth stop plate including a depth stop spaced apart from the first claw surface and the second claw surface, wherein the depth stop plate defines and maintains the distance between the first claw and the second claw; wherein the claw assembly is configured to be coupled to and movable relative to the pivotable door; and wherein the claw assembly moves relative to the door from contact with a lid to be dispensed to properly align the claw assembly with the lid.
 13. The claw assembly of claim 12, wherein the first claw further includes a first rear surface that extends at an angle relative to the first claw surface towards the first body portion; and wherein the second claw further includes a second rear surface that extends at an angle relative to the second claw surface towards the second body portion.
 14. The claw assembly of claim 13, further comprising: a first mounting piece including a first inner flange and a second outer flange separated by a first gap, the first mounting piece positioned opposite the first claw with the depth stop plate in-between; and a second mounting piece including a first inner flange and a second outer flange separated by a second gap, the second mounting piece positioned opposite the first claw with the depth stop plate in-between;
 15. The claw assembly of claim 14, wherein the first mounting piece includes a first upper portion and a first lower portion angled relative to the first upper portion; and wherein the second mounting piece includes a second upper portion and a second lower portion angled relative to the second upper portion.
 16. The claw assembly of claim 14, wherein the depth stop plate is flat.
 17. The claw assembly of claim 14, wherein the depth stop plate includes a recessed portion that extends towards the door.
 18. The claw assembly of claim 17, wherein the recessed portion divides the depth stop into two portions.
 19. A lid dispenser comprising: a housing including an opening, the housing configured to store a stack of lids to be dispensed through the opening; a pager mounted to the housing and configured to engage a lid located at the opening; a door pivotably mounted to the housing, the door including a first ear and a second ear, both ears extending towards the housing; and a claw assembly comprising: a first claw including a first body portion, a first claw surface extending from the body portion, and a first rear surface that extends at an angle relative to the first claw surface towards the first body portion; a second claw including a second body portion, a second claw surface extending from the body portion, and a second rear surface that extends at an angle relative to the second claw surface towards the second body portion; a depth stop plate that connects the first claw to the second claw, the depth stop plate including a depth stop spaced apart from the first claw surface and the second claw surface, wherein the depth stop plate defines and maintains the distance between the first claw and the second claw; a first mounting piece including a first inner flange and a second outer flange separated by a first gap, the first mounting piece positioned opposite the first claw with the depth stop plate in-between; and a second mounting piece including a first inner flange and a second outer flange separated by a second gap, the second mounting piece positioned opposite the first claw with the depth stop late in-between; wherein the first ear is positioned in the first gap and a first fastener extends through the first inner flange, the first ear, and the first outer flange to pivotally mount the claw assembly to the door about a pivot axis; and wherein the second ear is positioned in the second gap and a second fastener extends through the second inner flange, the second ear, and the second outer flange to pivotally mount the claw assembly to the door about the pivot axis.
 20. The lid dispenser of claim 19, wherein the first mounting piece includes a first upper portion and a first lower portion angled relative to the first upper portion, the first upper portion and the first lower portion adjacent the door; and wherein the second mounting piece includes a second upper portion and a second lower portion angled relative to the second upper portion, the second upper portion and the second lower portion adjacent the door. 